HFT Masters use the WHFTO rules

SAFETY

Any air rifle is allowed as long as it complies with current legislation for airguns and has a power output less than 12 ft lbs, which can be subject to a random and/or compulsory chronograph test at each event.

All shooters must attend a safety briefing at each event to be held immediately before the session they are shooting in.

When a single blast of a whistle is heard all shooting must immediately stop. Shooters must discharge their rifles into the ground, away from the target, at a safe distance. Targets must NOT be sighted or the gun shouldered during a cease fire.

Upon hearing two blasts of the whistle firing may re-commence after you have visually checked it is safe to do so.

Rifles must be cased or carried with the muzzle pointing down at all times when not in use, this includes rifles carried on a sling. Do not cock your rifle until you are ready to take aim. No gun should be cocked or loaded between lanes. Multi-shots must have the magazine removed, and be in a visibly safe condition. Every member of a group should ensure theirs & their shooting partner’s activities are carried out in a safe manner.

NEVER rest the rifle muzzle on your foot. When getting down or up from a prone shots always be aware of where your rifle muzzle is pointing, it should remain pointing down or down-range at all times, ask your shooting partner for their assistance in handing, or taking, your rifle from you if you find it difficult getting up or down safely

If you are approached by a marshal for any reason i.e. shooting technique or safety please do as they have asked as remember they are there to make sure the course is shot safely & fairly.

Once the first shot has been taken, NO adjustments may be made, in any way, to the rifle, stock or scope.

The scoring will be 2 points for a knockdown, 1 point for faceplate hit and 0 for a miss of the target. The target MUST fall to earn a maximum 2 points.

Under no circumstances may a target be shot at more than once by a shooter, nor are any practice shots of any kind allowed during the course of fire.

Regardless of any circumstances such as forgetting to load a pellet, not shutting the loading bolt or if the trigger is pull before you are locked on target, if the gun goes off (air released) the shot is considered as having been taken & will be scored accordingly. If this does happen, the competitor should make sure the pellet has left the gun by dry firing safely into the ground over the firing line with the consent of their shooting partners.

When a target has been downed the shooter must gain confirmation of the knockdown from a fellow group member before the target is reset.

Only a member of your shooting group is permitted to record your scores on your scorecard. Under no circumstance is a shooter allowed to score his/her own scorecard. If an error is entered on any scorecard the shooting partner who made the mistake must seek a marshal who will amend this error for you & sign the back of the card.

Upon completion of the course one of your shooting partners should sign your scorecard, this is to signify that they have checked the card & agree with its scoring, the shooter should always check that their scorecard is correctly filled in & signed before handing it in as they are the ones who will be penalised for any irregularities.

SHOOTING POSITIONS

Sitting shots ARE NOT ALLOWED, this is defined as the shooters backside being in contact with the ground, or sitting on your foot folded under your bum as the shot is taken.

Crouching shots are not allowed, this is defined as two feet on the ground with the upper part of the legs being supported by the calves or foot area.

The peg must be touched by some part of the body/rifle as the shot is taken. Moving any of the course fixtures is not allowed, these include the firing line, shooting pegs or any supports (Bails/structures), anyone found doing so will be disqualified from the competition.

The trigger finger must be behind the peg when the shot is taken

The rifle butt must be outside your clothing when taking a shot & it cannot be supported by any straps/pockets etc.

Prone

The only part of the rifle allowed to touch the ground when taking a shot from the prone position is the bottom edge of the butt pad, if any part of the rifle stock extends below this bottom edge then the rifle must not be grounded at all during a prone shot.

Kneeling

The kneeling position is defined as only 3 points of contact with the ground (2 feet & 1 knee).

The rear foot shall be upright and straight in line with the knee, sitting on a turned foot is not allowed, but ‘laces down’ is ok

A bean bag may be used to support the knee, shin or foot area only, not the buttock.

The rifle will be supported only by the two hands with the rifle butt in the shoulder, no other part of the body can be used to support the rifle nor can the hands be supported on any other part of the body.

The hands cannot be dropped to allow the wrist joint, arm or any other part of the body to support the rifle. The leading hand should also be forward of the knee, to illustrate this the supporting hand should be dropped down vertically (90degrees to the forearm), if it contacts with any part of the knee/leg the supporting hand is deemed too far back & therefore not forward of the knee.

The un-supported kneeling/standing shot will be designated by a 4" tall peg, no other forms of support are allowed for this shot (peg/tree etc).

The leading leg cannot be pulled back so the calf is supported by the hamstrings or lower buttocks, this is classed as a crouching shot & is not allowed.

Standing

Only your feet may be in contact with the ground.

The un-supported standing only shot will be designated by a 4" tall peg, no other forms of support are allowed for this shot (peg/tree)

TARGET TIMING

Shooters are allowed 2mins per lane, this timing starts when you approach the peg.

Under normal circumstances a shooter is not timed but if any group is causing a hold up or the session is taking too long due to slow shooters then we reserve the right to time individuals or groups of shooters.

Shooters may be timed by a marshal without their knowledge to ascertain if they are in fact taking too long to shoot but they will not be deducted any points at this time.

Once the decision is made to officially time any shooter or group of shooters they will be informed by the marshal that they will be timed, they will be told when the clock is started & they then have two minutes to shoot the target.

If a stoppage is called during the timing the clock will be stopped & 10 seconds grace given upon re-start of shooting before the clock is re-started.

EQUIPMENT

Most rifle & stock designs can be used for Masters competition as long as they are within the following rules:

Forend depth is limited to a maximum of 150mm, this is measured from the centre of the barrel to the lowest part of the rifle forward of the pistol grip.

FT style butt hooks are not allowed, although the paddle style of butt pad is allowed.

The paddles of the buttpad must not exceed 2.25" in length

When standing or kneeling, no part of the rifle may be in contact with the ground.

When taking a prone shot the only part of the rifle which may be touching the ground is the bottom edge of the butt pad, no other device, stock or buttpad extension may rest on the ground

Windicators are NOT allowed.

Apart from a traditional scope no other optical aids are allowed, scope levels cannot be used and must be removed or taped up before you start the course.

A standard rifle sling is allowed to be fitted to the stock/rifle but only as a means to carry the rifle between lanes, at no time can a sling to be used as a shooting aid.

Any traditional type scope and settings can be used. However, zeroing, magnification, dialling and parallax must be set prior to the first shot and left untouched until the course is completed, this includes illuminated reticules which if used must be switched on with the brightness set before the first shot is taken and remain that way without any adjustment or switching throughout the competition.

No device may be added or designed into a stock/rifle to specifically support the stock/rifle on the peg or tree. this includes brackets, ledges, spikes, straps etc.

The objective & ocular aperture of the scope must be left as it was manufactured and can not be reduced in any way, this includes sunshades. Flip up scope caps must always be in an open position when taking a shot & any holes in the caps taped up while shooting the course.

Anyone found carrying out any adjustments whatsoever to a scope once the course has been started will be expelled from the competition. Lasers are not permitted and should be removed from the rifle.

Beanbags may be carried to place guns on between lanes and may be used for kneeling shots as specified above

Use of any Range finding equipment is prohibited

hat make HFT Masters different?

Standing shots will be unsupported and will have a maximum distance of 80 yards combined for the three standing shots which will be on all our courses. The distances of the standing shotswill be a Minimum of 20 yards to maximum of 35 yards.

Kneeling shots will be unsupported and will be at ranges between 20 yards and 35 yards and the combined distance of all three kneeling shots will not exceed 80 yards.

ll targets 15 -40 mm.

e actively encourage shooters and visitors to look at our courses before, during and after the competition. we feel this will encourage new people into the sport that we love.